Canon S100 & Canon WP-DC43 Housing Combination Very Soft In Corners & Edges

[TropicalSnorkeler]

I was very interested in buying an S100 & Canon WP-DC43 as a replacement for my S90, for a few nice new features (HD video, dedicated video button, faster focus and shooting speeds, wider and longer zoom range, and a few other things).

But I have been waiting to see picture examples with this combination. A friend just sent me a link to a great set of pictures recently taken with this combination in ideal situations for a snorkeler (what I do), and unfortunately it appears that the corners and edges are very soft.

I understand this is a problem with a flat port and a wide angle lens. But it is far worse than my S90. About a third of the image appears soft, with only a central area being sharp. And it is so consistent across all the pictures that I don't believe it is a depth of field or focus issue.

Would you look at these pictures and see if you agree? And is anyone seeing different results?

My friend graciously allowed me to share the link to his gallery (although you may need a Google account to view them):

https://picasaweb.google.com/nader....uuFebruary122012?authkey=Gv1sRgCLHOuaGZjZHJXA

Thanks

 

[Gilligan]

I do see the same thing as you. I am not expert enough to say what the exact cause is. My guess is it is because the S100 has a little more zoom than the S90 and therefore has a longer lens port on the housing? As others have pointed out; what is the point of having a housing that requires you to zoom in a bit to get rid of that issue as well as get rid of vignetting when that is an issue? You have to have a housing that will accommodate a WAL without those negative effects. That means more $$$.

More and more manufacturers are making point-and-shoot cameras with wider lenses. Some are 28mm and some are 24mm. Add more zoom to that and IMO you get the results you are talking about. IMO the ideal housing would have no zoom capability and the lens port would be almost flush with the housing. But then Canon, Olympus etc could not sell as many of them. Keep in mind that Canon does not market their housings solely as "underwater" ones. Their website states "weatherproof", therefore they have multiple applications. I use them underwater but with no add-on lenses.

 

[RetroBlader]

How did the S100 do without the housing?

DPReview had to test 5 different units of S100 because some units had significant lens decentering:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/CanonS100/page5.asp
(look under the "Sample Variation" section)

I just got the WP-DC43 and will be using it on a dive trip at the end of the month.

(Actually, I'll be using my old S95/WP-DC38 combination, while my wife will be using the S100/WP-DC43.)


Will provide a report afterwards.


:cool2:

 

[TropicalSnorkeler]

Thanks. Since posting this I have now seen two more examples from different cameras that all have the soft corners and edges with the Canon housing. So I feel it is confirmed. The S100 is not known for having sharp corners to begin with, so that may also be contributing.

I can't really complain. This saved me lots of $$. I was going to purchase two of these with housings and adapters for the new magic filter in mounts. Now instead I am just going to get another S90 and housing used for my wife and keep using mine (so we can share batteries, charges, etc). My only real complaint about the S90 is a bit of shutter lag and it would be nice to have HD video. The pictures are great though. The Olympus XZ-1 looks like a decent alternative, but no real upgrade from the S90. Probably within the next year or two something new will come out that will be worth the upgrade.

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

I can't imagine it is the housing that is causing this, shooting behind a flat port generally doesn't affect the corners. Zoom in a little or shoot at F5.6 to maximize sharpness. Hope this helps! - Scott